Downton Abbey Update

Not sure how long this typing will last today. My elbow’s been acting up, as it’s the first day I’ve been back at work since the accident. Still, I wanted to jot down my current Downton impressions after last night’s episode.

First off, Denisa and I continue to really enjoy the show. The characters are all very well done–written and acted. Though I have to say that right now, I miss the more straightforward plots of season one. Everything’s just a tad too soap opera-esque for me. The biggest strength of the show remains the fascinating characters and the way their lives are affected by a fascinating period of history. I love seeing how characters react to different things–And how different those reactions are when compared to the norms today. Some special notes: (WARNING–SPOILERS!)

  • Thomas is a weasel, and so is O’Brian, but the show needs them desperately. I want to see more of them, just so there can be more conflict.
  • The new maid’s dismissal for fooling around with the soldier was predictable and took too long to get to this point. I’m much more interested in seeing what happens now.
  • Thank goodness that busybody Mrs. Crawley is off to France. She seriously bugged me, in a someone-get-that-woman-to-shut-up sort of a way. On the other hand, she might die now, and I didn’t really dislike her *that* much.
  • Mr. Bates and Anna are the pinatas of these writers. I swear the writers kick back and try to think about what awful things they can do to those two each week. That said, that’s also a big reason for why we like the characters, I think.
  • Molesley continues to be unlikable, in a pandering, greasy sort of way.
  • I felt like the Matthew MIA plot was finished too quickly. I wanted a special Behind Enemy Lines: Downton edition. Oh well.
  • That said, the reveal during the concert was well done.
  • PREDICTION–Mary’s fiancee will find out about the Turk (from Mrs. Bates). He’ll try to use it as leverage to get Mary to marry him. She’ll refuse. He’ll publish it. Matthew will find out that’s why Mary didn’t want to commit, and we’ll discover his fiancee isn’t all that and a bag of chips, and that’s how Matthew and Mary end up together. Kind of hoping I’m wrong, though–I hope it’s not that predictable.
And that’s all the typing I have in me. What are your thoughts of the season so far?

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